DEA Operation Last Mile Tracks Down Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel Associates Operating within American Communities
Seizures of fentanyl both in pill and powder form have risen exponentially over the past five years.
OMAHA, NE –The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) concluded a year-long operation in which it identified direct connections between the Mexican-based Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels and communities across the nation, to include the five state DEA Omaha Division. Operation Last Mile targeted operatives, associates and distributors affiliated with the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels responsible for the last mile of fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution on local streets and on social media.
Over the course of a year, DEA Omaha Division investigators in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota directly linked 26 investigations to the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, with more connections expected as cases move forward. Fentanyl seizures both in pill and powder form continue to increase exponentially, while methamphetamine seizures increased 55 percent between 2018 and 2022. DEA Omaha Division investigators made 87 arrests and seized 60 firearms tying to one of the two cartels.
“Drug trafficking is a violent activity that threatens our Midwestern communities on a daily basis,” DEA Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “The news is full of stories detailing the number of lives lost to drug poisonings and violent acts that came as a direct result of drug trafficking. These crimes, perpetuated by the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, are not victimless as evident by the tragic loss of life to toxic substances being pushed into our neighborhoods.”
DEA’s top operational priority is to defeat the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels, the two drug cartels responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl and methamphetamine that is killing Americans. The Operation shows that the Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartels use violent local street gangs and criminal groups and individuals across the United States to flood American communities with huge amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine, which drives addiction and violence and kills Americans. It also shows that the Cartels, their members and their associates use social media applications—like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat—and encrypted platforms—like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Wire, and Wickr—to coordinate logistics and reach out to victims.
Nationally, Operation Last Mile comprised of 1,436 investigations conducted from May 1, 2022 through May 1, 2023, in collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners, and resulted in 3,337 arrests and the seizure of nearly 44 million fentanyl pills, more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 8,497 firearms, and more than $100 million. The fentanyl powder and pill seizures equate to nearly 193 million deadly doses of fentanyl removed from communities across the United States, which have prevented countless potential drug poisoning deaths. Among these investigations, more than 1,100 cases involved social media applications and encrypted communications platforms.
Operation Last Mile is an example of DEA’s network-based approach to take out Sinaloa and Jalisco Cartel members and associates in the United States and across the globe, stop fentanyl, and save American lives. In April 2023, the DEA and our federal partners announced the indictment of 28 members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel operating in Mexico, China, and Central America, including the leaders of the Cartel known as the “Chapitos.”
